Acid phosphatase, an enzyme which optimally splits phospho-monoesters under acidic conditions, is found in various organs in the human body, e.g. the prostate gland, liver and spleen and in blood cells. When tissue cells are damaged, acid phosphatase is transferred to the plasma. Therefore, the determination of acid phosphatase in body fluids, particularly serum or plasma, is a vluable tool in the diagnosis of diseases of the organs where it is normally found. For example, determination of significant levels of prostatic acid phosphatase in the serum of plasma is an indication of possible hypertrophy of the prostate gland or a carcinoma therein.
Determinations of the acid phosphatase activity in body fluids can present some difficulties since the activity of the enzyme is relatively low. It can therefore be appreciated that increasing the degree of activity of any given quantity of enzyme can be of considerable value in diagnostic procedures for its determination. In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that the addition of a straight-chain alcohol of 4-6 carbon atoms to the body fluid being tested, markedly increases the activity of acid phosphatase contained therein thus improving diagnostic determinations thereof.